Without a Doubt, I'm By Your Side
by lcdrsuperseal
Summary: While Danny is taking care of Steve as he is suffering the side effects of the radiation poisoning, an unwelcome visitor turns up. But Steve needn't worry, Danny is all over it. Set after 7x25 so expect spoilers


Danny knelt down next to Steve and rubbed his back as the dinner that he'd eaten not long ago made an unwanted reappearance. He stayed hunched over the toilet until all that was coming up was spit and bile.

"Okay, I think that's enough," Steve mumbled as he collapsed against the wall, chest heaving as he tried to control his breathing. "Jeez, what is it about spewing that makes your eyes water?"

"I dunno, babe," Danny dabbed at Steve's sweaty face with some toilet paper before handing him a glass of water. "Small sips and deep breaths, 'kay?"

Steve rolled his eyes - like he wasn't a pro at doing this after the last few weeks - as he carefully took a drink. He closed his eyes as the cool liquid soothed his raw throat. "Thanks, Danno… Sorry about dinner, I actually really enjoyed it." He let out a dry laugh.

"I'll make it again when you're better. Promise." Danny pressed a kiss into his damp hair. Steve relaxed into him and breathed evenly. The feel of Danny's fingers massaging his scalp with one hand, and his back with the other was almost enough to send him off to sleep.

Until he felt a feeling that was now familiar, in the pit of his stomach. Steve put his hands on Danny's chest to shove him away so he could reach the toilet on time, but he wasn't quick enough.

Danny groaned as Steve made a mess of his shirt and quickly aimed him in the direction of the toilet. He sighed in frustration as he carefully peeled his soiled shirt off and briefly ran it under the tap in the sink to get the worst of the damage off.

"I'm sorry, Danno," Steve said hoarsely, his breaths coming in quickly. "I'll wash it-" He was cut off by another round of vomiting and returned his attention to the toilet.

"Don't be stupid, babe. Here," Danny ran a washcloth under the cold tap and rang it out, before folding it and placing it on Steve's forehead after the man flushed the toilet and slumped back against the tiled wall. "Keep this on, it might help with your temperature."

"Whereyougoing?" Steve said in one breath as he held a hand on the cloth.

"I'm just gonna get a clean shirt. Won't be long." Danny bent down and quickly kissed Steve's cheek before heading out the door.

He sprinted up the stairs and snagged the first shirt he could find in his drawer before heading back down, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a familiar woman standing in the hallway, their front door open behind her. Danny felt his heart plummet, but also felt angry. Furious, even.

"What are you doing here, Catherine?" Danny harshly whispered, moving away from the bathroom door that he'd left ajar. _She's not going in there,_ he told himself. _She's not going to get to him._

"I just came to see how Steve is doing," Cath said, arms crossed over her chest. "Is that alright with you, Danny?"

Danny bit back the urge to laugh. Mostly.

"I'll tell you what's _not_ alright with me, shall I?" Danny purses his lips. "Lying to your boyfriend, especially about his mother which you knew was a touchy issue. Then leaving him in _Afghanistan_ at the mercy of the fucking _Taliban,_ for me to rescue. By the way, we got to him just in time - a few seconds later and they'd have killed him."

Catherine opened her mouth to speak but Danny held a finger up at her to wait.

"And _then_ , you wait a year before showing up again, citing that you wouldn't miss Kono's wedding. Didn't say anything about Steve. And if all that wasn't enough, you lie to him _again_ about why you left, as we found out when you got the team to break Doris out of jail." Danny took in several breaths before continuing with his rant. "And then you left him. _Again._ So forgive me if I'm not exactly happy to see you right now."

"I know I did all those things, and I'm sorry for what I've done," Danny rolled his eyes and scoffed. "But… I'm here now, if Steve wants to talk. Or is he still with Lynn?"

"Unbelievable." Danny shook his head. "Firstly, no. They broke up after he spent more of our Valentine's group vacation with me instead of her. Secondly, what makes you think he wants to talk to you?"

"So what, are you two a 'thing' now?"

Danny cracked a small smile. "As of recently, yes. Not that it's any of your business. Sorry to disappoint you though, I know you were probably hoping that you'd get him back."

Catherine tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Well, if that's what he wants. I'll always love him-"

"' _Love_ him'?" Danny shouted, "How can you claim to love Steve after everything that you've done?! Every time you've come and gone, _I've_ been there to pick up the pieces when you leave him a broken man! He was even gonna propose, before you ditched him to go work with Doris, of all people."

"Oh, did you not know that?" Danny said at Catherine's stunned expression. "Yeah. He bought a ring and everything. But then - surprise surprise! - you ran. And because life really is _just that kind_ to Steve, he then got shot and almost died, and would have died if I hadn't given him half of my liver."

"And now he's got radiation poisoning from defusing a dirty bomb. So I don't think Steve's up to playing 'make believe families' with you right now, not when he's got a real one right here with me and the kids." Danny could feel his heart racing as he ranted, but he'd had enough of watching his partner have his precious heart trampled on.

* * *

Steve made sure to keep taking those deep breaths that Danny asked him too as he listened intently at the argument that was happening not even 10 feet away from him. Not long after Danny left he'd had to make another lunge for the toilet, but nothing was coming up, just dry heaves that were doing a wonderful job of making his stomach muscles cramp. Now, as he sat with his face against the cool, tiled wall, Steve could hear every word of what Danny and Cath were saying. Well, at least Cath was talking, whereas Danny seemed to be _yelling_.

Steve smiled as he realised what Danny was trying to get across to his ex-girlfriend (was she even that? Steve didn't really know anymore) as he heard Danny berate Cath for leaving him during what were definitely the worst times in his life.

For a while, Steve figured that Catherine and he were endgame, and she'd be there to support him through the inevitable tough times that would come. But after she left last time, and he threw himself into a 'relationship' with Lynn, he realised that the person he was meant to be with was in front of him all along.

And who ended up being there for him throughout all of those times? His Danno.

Steve frequently had nightmares, particularly if they'd had a bad case, and every time he woke up sweating and crying Danny was right beside him to whisper calming words and wipe the tears away. Cath never did anything like that for him.

Danny knew when to force him to talk about his issues and when to back off and let Steve have his moment alone, before tactfully sending either Grace or Charlie to get him. He could never say 'no' to those kids, and Danny knew it.

Both men couldn't believe that they'd waited so long before admitting their feelings, but it didn't matter. In a way it worked out better; they each got to know each other and slowly fall in love. And boy, Steve definitely fell _head over heels_ in love with Danny.

Steve was brought back to the present day by an outburst from Danny that, by the lack of response, rendered Cath speechless.

 _"... So I don't think Steve's up to playing 'make believe families' with you right now, not when he's got a real one right here with me and the kids."_

If Steve had the energy, he'd get up and tell Cath exactly the same thing. But he could feel the fatigue setting in as the vomiting subsided into nausea, and he honestly didn't think he'd get off of the bathroom floor on his own. _Man,_ he thought as he pushed himself up from where he'd slid down the wall, _I can deal with the rest of this shit, maybe. But feeling like a two ton weight is pressing me into the ground? No way._

Steve heard Cath bid a quiet farewell to Danny, though it was muffled as his ears and even his brain were ringing. At least, that's what it felt like. He didn't even realise that Danny was kneeling in front of him and speaking to him until he squeezed his arm.

"Danno?" Steve blinked as he reached out to touch Danny's face, to reassure himself that Danny was _here._

"Hey, buddy," Danny smiled at him and handed him a glass of water. That smile that Steve loved so much, the one that made his heart skip a beat when he first saw it, when they first met. "I, uh..."

"I heard what you said." Steve said after rinsing his mouth out and spitting into the toilet. He coughed as he shuffled closer to Danny and pulled the blonde man onto his lap. "To Catherine."

"Oh, you heard that huh?"

"Like I was in the same room." Steve chuckled as Danny rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, but I'm not taking any of it back." He said, before sliding his arms around Steve's shoulders.

"Don't want you to," Steve held on tight to Danny's waist. "Ever. She has no part in my life anymore, Danno. I just wish…"

Danny tipped his chin up. "What, babe?"

"I wish I realised that years ago. Then maybe we could have had more time..." Steve sniffed. He debating blaming his tears on being sick again, but his last bout was too long ago for Danny to buy it.

"Sshh… hey come on, I think you've lost enough bodily fluids for one night." Danny pulled Steve into a tight embrace, and he smiled when the brunette coughed out what sounded like a laugh.

"Agreed." Steve whispered. He took several deep breaths, face buried in Danny's neck. "You wouldn't leave me."

Danny's fingers smoothed down a few wayward strands of Steve's hair. "Damn right I won't. I'm nothing like her." He said, before coaxing Steve up to look at him. Danny's reassuring smile brought a matching one from Steve, both men simply enjoying being so close to each other and trading soft kisses. "I love you, babe."

"Love you too," Steve nuzzled Danny's cheek, before pulling back. "We should probably check on the kids, no doubt they heard you bellowing from upstairs judging from those tell-tale sounds."

Danny sighed as he realised that he could hear Charlie's faint cries. He helped Steve off the floor, and didn't let go of his hand as they went up the stairs.

* * *

Grace gasped when she saw Steve as he came into her room, and Steve barely had a moment to brace himself before she flung herself at him.

"Are you okay? Were you sick again?" Grace asked all in one breath. Steve lightly loosened her death-grip around him so she wasn't pressed against his sensitive stomach before running a hand through her hair.

"I'm fine Grace… yes I was sick, but I feel a bit better now. Danno's been taking real good care of me."

"When he wasn't yelling at Catherine. Danno really laid into her!"

Steve smiled sadly at her, wondering when she became so grown up.

"Yeah… Well, don't worry about that, okay? She's gone now. And she deserved it." Steve winked. Grace relaxed as he pulled her into a hug, but reluctantly pulled away when Danny came in carrying a still-crying Charlie.

"Sorry, babe, but he wants you." Danny said. Steve accepted the toddler from Danny and gently bounced him, pressing kisses into his hair as Charlie wrapped his arms around Steve's neck.

"Hey, it's all right now buddy, Daddy's here." Steve soothed, ignoring the way that his new 'promotion' from Uncle Steve thanks to both children still made him feel lightheaded.

After while Charlie finally stopped crying, but refused to let go of Steve.

"Guess we'll be having a guest tonight?" Danny smirked as Steve nodded, then he looked at his daughter.

"I'm good thanks, you'll have fun enough with the way that Charlie moves in his sleep." Grace laughed at her father's reactions when they remembered that she had a point, before saying goodnight.

On any other night Steve would have walked along the beach with Charlie in his arms and let the sea breeze and waves lull him to sleep. It was something he'd done before, even for Grace when she was younger. But sadly, his body had taken enough of a battering tonight and his fatigue had depleted his energy stores.

Steve sighed in relief as soon as he sank into his own bed, Charlie still in his arms.

"Are you gonna go away, Daddy?" The little boy said, and Steve felt a new hatred for Catherine for installing that fear into him as Charlie started to cry again. Carefully Steve shifted him so that he was settled on the bed between him and Danny.

"No, buddy. Nobody's going anywhere." Steve reassured him, one hand on the side of Charlie's face that reminded him of Danny every day.

"But that lady-"

"Charlie, baby, honestly nobody is leaving." Danny pulled the covers over them all, creating a 'cocoon' of safety for his son using the sheets and himself and Steve. "Forget about what she said. I told her where to go."

Steve raised his eyebrows at that, 'where to go' was putting it very mildly but the words that Danny used were not for young ears. He said nothing else as Charlie's tears finally subsided, more crying was the last thing Steve wanted. He really was running on the last of his energy reserves, and as much as Steve loved his boy he knew that he'd crash if he didn't sleep soon.

"Oh." Charlie whispered, before smiling at Steve. "Danno's the greatest."

"He really is the greatest, isn't he?" Steve replied, but his eyes were fixed on Danny as he spoke.

"So are you, Daddy." Charlie yawned, before burrowing back into Steve's arms and quickly falling asleep. Steve looked over the smaller blonde head and into Danny's face and smiled. He willed his eyes to stay open just a few seconds longer so that he could clearly commit this moment to his memory, but Steve was asleep before he could even kiss Danny goodnight.

Danny shuffled close enough to embrace Steve and his son and ran a hand down his lover's back, before pressing a kiss to both of their foreheads as he settled under the covers.

Their bedroom door opened, and Danny quickly feigned sleep when he saw Grace tiptoe in. He opened one eye and watched (and bit back a laugh, he knew that his little girl was still in there somewhere no matter how grown-up she looked) as Grace silently slid under the covers and plastered herself to Steve's back. Dead to the world, Steve didn't even notice as she slung an arm over his stomach and twisted his shirt in her fingers.

But Danny did, and carefully reached behind him for his cell phone and snapped a photo of the three of them, instantly setting it as his wallpaper.

He sent it to Steve the next day, and totally didn't tease him when the ex-Navy SEAL went suspiciously quiet as he stared at his phone.


End file.
